The Success Of Oprah Winfrey

864 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Oprah as an african american role model

Most people know Oprah Winfrey due to her success as an award-winning talk show host and producer for The Oprah Winfrey Show. Over the years, Winfrey has built her net worth to 3.1 billion USD, and steady growing due to her other business ventures. Oprah is the epitome of black success and a role model for women and entrepreneurs across the globe.
In 1954 Winfrey was born to a teen mother in Kosciusko, Mississippi where she grew up until the age of 6. Her mother Vernita, moved to Wisconsin for work and young Oprah was left to live with her grandmother in Mississippi. Up into her teen years Oprah shuffled between her mother, her grandmother, and her father in Nashville. Fortunately, the unstable living circumstances did not deter her from graduating …show more content…

According to biography.com, at the end of the show's first year in 1986, it grossed $125 million and Oprah's salary was $30 million (Oprah Winfrey, 2017). Oprah monetized the show's profits by starting her own production company, Harpo Productions, where she obtained ownership of the show and part of its revenue. In addition to Oprah's success with her talk show, she ventured into literature and reading by starting her own book club that correlated with the talk show. Within this book club, there were best-seller authors listed and Oprah wrote a cookbook with her chef focusing on healthy eating and weight loss. Her success continued to grow as she made major business moves, from co-founding Oxygen Media, to launching her own magazine (O: The Oprah Magazine). Oprah made sure she was on the forefront of media and captured her audiences' attention with every move she made. Due to her respectable reputation as a TV host, it was predictable that Oprah would have a strong audience of …show more content…

Due to the launch of OWN, Winfrey canceller her contract with ABC and finished the last two seasons of The Oprah Winfrey Show under her own channel. There wasn't much momentum flowing through the Oprah Winfrey Network until she did an interview with Lance Armstrong regarding his drug use in his career. The interview brought in millions of views and revenue and was an instant headliner. As a result of the success, Winfrey consolidated her production company in Chicago to accommodate her new network in Los Angeles. It was unfortunate but redundant due to the production of her drama shows like Greenleaf and The Haves and Have

Show More
Related

  • Who Is Oprah Winfrey?

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1976 she moved to Baltimore and later hosts the T.V chat show people are talking. In 1984, Oprah relocates to chicago to host her own morning show “ AM Chicago”, which was renamed the “The Oprah Show”. In 1985 she makes film debut in Steven Spielberg's “The Color Purple” for which she was nominated for an academy award for best supporting actress. In 1986, OPrah launches the “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as a nationally syndicated program placed on 120 programs. In 1988, she had established harpo productions. In 1989, Winfrey stars in the ABC TV miniseries “The Women Of Brewster Place”. In 1994, president Clinton signs the “Oprah Bill”, creating a nationwide database of convicted child abusers. In 1998, Oprah received her seventh emmy as outstanding talk show host and the ninth emmy for the “The Oprah Winfrey Show”. In 2000, a company launches O, the oprah magazine which is created as being the most successful magazine launch in recent history. In 2003 Oprah's Book Club becomes the largest book club in the world and she receives the association of American publishes, AAP honors award. In 2005, she ranked number one on Forbes power celebrity list. In 2009, Oprah interviews Whitney Houston. In 2010, “The Oprah Winfrey Show” begins its 25th and final

    Read More

  • Oprah Winfrey: Most Influential Woman in America

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    Oprah Winfrey achieved great success in her various endeavors, growing from a news reporter in Nashville to the world-famous talk show host she is today. During the 1980s, talk shows were a crucial part of daytime television. Shows were organized based upon their content and varied greatly in subject. The popularity of talk shows led many people to enter this field, leading to a constant struggle for airtime. Oprah’s rise to fame began when she moved from her hometown in Nashville, to college in Baltimore and ultimately to Chicago, where she lives today. She appeared on an early morning television program called A.M. Chicago, which was later retitled The Oprah Winfrey Show which aired its first episode on September 8, 1986. Talk shows like Oprah’s were wildly popular, especially to women, because they focused on entertaining their viewers rather than discussing political problems. The thirty-minute to hour-long programs allowed for people to escape their problems, even if only for a short period of time (Rose). Biographer, Ilene Cooper took on the challenge of writing a biography about the complex and extraordinary life of Oprah Winfrey. In an article on the Kirkus Review website, published in 2010, a critic enjoys how the author of the biography, Up close: Oprah Winfrey, “makes excellent use of many quotes from interviews, Oprah’s own writing and, of course, her television show” (“Oprah Winfrey”). This reviewer appreciates how the biographer uses all of her resources to understand more information about Oprah. Some of Oprah’s greatest contributions to society are her generous donations to several organizations, and the way she encourages individuals to take actions that can not on...

    Read More

  • Oprah Winfrey: Powerhouse Outlier

    1918 Words  | 4 Pages

    As technology has developed over the years, society has become extremely reliant and addicted to the media. According to A.C. Nielsen Co., a global information and measurement firm, the average American youth watches twenty eight hours of television per week. Within a sixty-five year timeframe an individual will have spent a total of nine years watching TV (Herr). Both of these sects contribute millions of jobs providing individuals with ample opportunities, a gateway to success. It certainly provided the break for one African American woman to attain a status she could have only dreamt of as a child growing up in an unstable, emotionally debilitating, and unpromising environment. Oprah Winfrey is arguably one of the most influential women in modern times. She sprang up from seemingly nowhere becoming a media mogul, named most influential and wealthiest woman numerous years in a row by both Forbes and The Time. Oprah was brought to fame for her critically acclaimed talk show, which swiftly boosted her from rags to riches, and over the years resulted in her crowning as the “Queen of Talk.” Oprah Gail Winfrey, named the first African American female billionaire, was nominated for an academy award in her performance in The Color Purple, and through hard work and persistence forged her way into a position as CEO of her own television network and production company. Her self-entitled talk show, which would become the highest rated of its kind, served as a pioneer for many TV shows that emerged in the late 1980’s following the premiered of her show on daytime television. “I’m Oprah Winfrey, and welcome to the very first national Oprah Winfrey Show!” she exclaimed as the studio audience cheered enthusiastically (Brown). However, what pe...

    Read More

  • Informative Essay: Oprah Winfrey Is A True Leader

    497 Words  | 1 Pages

    Oprah Winfrey is an actor, director/producer, talk-show hostess, entrepreneur and a philanthropist. According to forbes magazine, her net worth is $3.1 Billion.

    Read More

  • Oprah Winfrey Free Enterprise

    599 Words  | 2 Pages

    Perhaps the most notable triumph of Oprah Winfrey is her job as host of her own television show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show". Because anyone is free to decide what they choose as a career, she had the opportunity to create this show. The viewings and acceptance of the consumers to her show allowed it's prosperity. Keep in mind that Oprah had no control of the success her show would receive, although she had free decision to do what she pleased with it, it was the decision of the consumers

    Read More

  • Oprah Winfrey: A Brief Biography

    601 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...r own television channel, OWN. “The mission of OWN, Winfrey said in a press release on her website, is to be ‘a network that inspires our viewers and makes them want to be who they are on their best day’ ” (“Oprah Winfrey Network”).

    Read More

  • Oprah Winfrey

    880 Words  | 2 Pages

    Still attending college Oprah got offered a job as a co-anchor on the CBS television station. She thought that having a job and going to college could intervene with her college education, so she confined in her speech communications teacher, he told her “that it may be the ultimate step to launch her career” (Imbd 33). Oprah stuck with this job till the end of her college career. She wanted to reach out to somewhere other than Nashville. In 1976 Oprah took a risk and moved to Baltimore. She eventually found a job in 1978, and became a cohost of the station’s “people are talking” talk show.

    Read More

  • Oprah Winfrey’s Journey Through Life

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oprah Winfrey is an inspiration to many all around the world. She did not have a very good home life up until the age of 14. She was abused as a child and did not see her mother very often because she was a housemaid who was gone almost every day all day. Vernon Winfrey, Oprah’s father, was a big service in her life when it came to keeping her in a nonviolent manner. Oprah also had her career going for her when she became Miss Black Tennessee at age 17. When Oprah became Miss Black Tennessee she was offered a radio broadcasting job and a full scholarship to Tennessee. Oprah had quite a few talk shows yet she made the most money off her own show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and now has her individual network called The Oprah Winfrey Network. Oprah Winfrey’s influential style greatly impacted those who came after her in the entertainment industry.

    Read More

  • Oprah Winfrey Ethical Leader

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    During her childhood years living with her mother, Oprah had very little money and life was difficult. She wants to help as many children as possible grow up in a sound, safe, and educational environment. Oprah has changed the world with all of her organizations and charity efforts. Oprah Winfrey has helped thousands of children attend school with her scholarships that she has funded. Many of these children would never go to school or continue their college career without her amazing efforts of providing financial support to these children. Oprah also helped build homes for families through her efforts with Habitat for Humanity and her donations after Hurricane Katrina helped families start their lives over again after the mass destruction of the hurricane by providing the financial support to rebuild many communities and neighborhoods(“Oprah Winfrey”). When researching Oprah Winfrey, I now realize why she is such an incredible person. The world is a better place because of Oprah Winfrey. This is another example of a person that has worked very hard to achieve her goals in life. Oprah strived for her dreams of being able to give back to the community and world. Oprah came from nothing, built an empire and became one of the most influential people in the world. While building an empire, Oprah has influenced millions of people achieve a better way of live. Oprah has positively

    Read More

  • Oprah Winfrey Case Study

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oprah Winfrey is as American entrepreneur and a popular talk show host. She was born on January 29 1954 in Kosciusko Mississippi. She was the result of a broken teenage relationship and teenage pregnancy so as you can imagine it had quite an impact on her development as she grew up. Against all odds she became a very successful woman and is currently worth 2.8 billion USD.

    Read More

  • The Influence Of The American Dream

    2198 Words  | 5 Pages

    Oprah was born on a farm in 1954 to a poor family. Winfrey enjoyed reciting African American poetry, and became known as the "little speaker" in her town. When she was 12, Winfrey won $500 for a speech she gave at her father 's church. From then on she wanted to "be paid to talk." When Winfrey was a teenager, her dream was put on hold. Some of the trusted men of her family began to sexually abuse her. She lashed out in anger at the world by lying to her mother, running away from home, and stealing. Unaware of what Winfrey was going through, her mother sent her away to live with her father. If her mother never sent her away, Oprah 's life would have been much different. At age 17, Oprah Winfrey won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant and was offered an on-air job at WVOL, a radio station for the African American community in Nashville. Oprah continued to work at WVOL in her first years of college, but her broadcasting career was already taking off. She left school and signed on with a local television station as a reporter and anchor. In 1976, she moved to Baltimore to join WJZ-TV News as a co-anchor. There, she co-hosted her first talk show, People Are Talking, while continuing to serve as anchor and news reporter. In January 1984, she was invited to Chicago to host a half-hour morning program on WLS-TV. In less than a year, she turned AM Chicago into the hottest show in

    Read More

  • Communication Style Of Oprah Winfrey

    2675 Words  | 6 Pages

    Winfrey has brought so much change to the world that one cannot just write a simple paragraph about. She has used her platform to discuss topics that are truly life changing such as Weight Issues, Reading, Give Big, and Taboo. Topics about weight have always interested the public, and Oprah was one individual who discussed it for the world to put their input in. She has talked about her own weight and made it clear how diet and exercise is important for the body. She strived to put the message in people’s ear’s that being healthy is what’s right. The next topic is reading, and this came from her “Oprah 's Book Club”. Oprah has always believed that reading is a fundamental skill and she wanted others to hop on the bandwagon and expand their knowledge. She started this book club for many reasons and it surely brought change to society. Give Big is the next topic of discussion and this changed society in a positive way. In 1997, Oprah wanted her viewers to make a difference in other people’s lives by donating their spare change. Shortly after that, she transformed that into the charity known as “Oprah 's Angel Network”. This charity was a huge success and has helped a lot of individuals in need. The final topics that will be discussed are taboo topics such as abuse, infidelity and addiction. These types of topics are what made Oprah Winfrey’s show such a success. She was so open about her childhood and other obstacles she had to face in her life that people began to trust

    Read More

  • The Failure Of Life And Success Of Oprah Winfrey

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    Her father was very strict and cared a lot about school and wanted her to get high marks. At high school she was a brilliant student, she loved being in the drama club and the student council. After she graduated in 1971 she received a four year scholarship to Tennessee State University. She began to develop broadcasting career at seventeen while working for WVOL radio in Nashville. While still at university Oprah at nineteen became the youngest and the first African-American female news anchor at WTVF-TV in Nashville, this shows us today that you can conquer anything you put your mind to, I mean she went through such a hard childhood but yet still conquered this. In 1976 Oprah took the job to be a co-host on an early morning talk show called People are Talking. In 1984 Oprah moved to Chicago and got chosen to host a talk show called AM Chicago. The show became really popular during the time of seven months and was then extended to be a one-hour show. In September 1985 after all the show’s success it was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show. It was on TV for twenty five years. Oprah interviewed and engaged with her audience a lot and talked about her childhood on the show. Her show ended in 2011. After her show ended Oprah published the Oprah Magazine and then set up her own cable television network named Oxygen in 1999. Oprah started collecting funds for charities and children that couldn’t afford to go to school and then established the Family for Better Lives

    Read More

  • Oprah Winfrey: An Inspirational Role Model

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    For most people growing up is filled with memories of joy and happiness. A childhood should be filled with affection and care, but Oprah did not always feel those things. Oprah did not have such a great upbringing, but despite the odds she rose up and became who she had wanted to be. Oprah had dealt with many accounts of sexual abuse, the lack of attention from her mother, and moving from place-to-place for most of her early years (Fry, web). Not only was Oprah faced sexual abuse, but she also became pregnant from one of the instances (Fry, web). This made things even more difficult for the young Oprah.

    Read More

  • A Brief Biography of Oprah Winfrey

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Her mother, Vernita Lee, gave birth to Oprah when she was only a teenager. Vernita was a maid. Oprah’s father is Vermon Winfrey he was a __________. Oprah’s mother left ________ to find a job while Oprah stayed with her grandmother named Hatti Mae Lee where she lived in poor conditions.

    Read More

More about The Success Of Oprah Winfrey

Open Document